Search form

Main menu

You are here

About CUWiP

Page

What is CUWiP?

The American Physical Society (APS) Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) is a series of regional conferences held simultaneously around the United States for undergraduate women interested in physics. The goal of this conference series is to encourage undergraduate women to pursue a career in physics by giving them the experience of a professional conference. This includes networking with women in physics of all ages and professional levels, plenary talks by prominent women in physics, and panel discussions providing information about graduate school and career opportunities in physics. See the 2018 APS CUWiP Conference flyer .

These conferences are supported in part by the National Science Foundation (PHY-1346627) and by the Department of Energy Office of Science (DE-SC0011076). Further details are available on the APS conference website.

About Iowa State University

Iowa State University is a public, land-grant university, where students get a great academic start in learning communities and stay active in 800-plus student organizations, undergrad research, internships and study abroad. They learn from world-class scholars who are tackling some of the world's biggest challenges -- feeding the hungry, finding alternative fuels and advancing manufacturing. Iowa State's academic offerings are administered today through eight colleges, including the graduate college, that offer over 100 bachelor's degree programs, 112 master's degree programs, and 83 at the Ph.D. level, plus a professional degree program in Veterinary Medicine.

The 2018 CUWiP at Iowa State will be hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy on January 12 to 14, 2018. The Department has active research programs in Astronomy/Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, High-energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Biophysics. Our high-energy physics, particle astrophysics and nuclear physics groups are involved in experiments which recreate the conditions of the early universe and help explain how it has evolved. The condensed matter physics group studies superconductivity, magnetism and the optical properties of matter, among other topics, and partners with the Department of Energy Ames Laboratory's Division of Materials Science and Engineering, which is located on campus. The Physics of Biological Systems research program seeks to explain biology from precise physical descriptions of how individual molecules work together like tiny machines to produce specific biological functions.

In providing instruction in classical and modern physics, we cover such areas as mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, introductory modern physics, and quantum mechanics. In addition to our undergraduate program, offering a Major in Physics and a Minor in Astronomy, the Department offers Ph.D. degrees in Physics and in Astrophysics.

Program highlights

Attend panels and workshops dedicated to topics like Careers in Physics, Thriving in Physics, Authentic Leadership and many others;

Have lunch and coffee breaks with scientists from different research areas;

Present your own research in the poster session.

The full program for the conference is available here. We hope that you will join us for this year’s conference to showcase your own research, explore career opportunities, and connect with other women in the physics community!